Species
What are invasive species?
A species that is not native and harming local species
Define "endemic species."
Native and only located within a specific area
Describe primary succession.
A disturbance to an ecosystem resulting in no life no soil
Describe secondary succession and provide two examples.
How do humans influence biodiversity in their environments?
overexploitation; habitat destruction; wildlife preserves
How do invasive species typically affect native species?
They use the resources needed by the native or kill off the native species
What is meant by "overexploitation" of species?
overuse of a species by humans; overhunting; overharvesting
What role do pioneer species play in primary succession? Name some examples.
Pioneer species start the process of making soil so species can return; lichens breaking down rock.
What effect does clear-cutting have on forest succession?
Removes habitat restarts to secondary succession
What happens to biodiversity if habitat destruction increases?
Biodiversity Decreases
What role do keystone species play in an ecosystem?
Critical to the function of an ecosystem
Explain the term "indicator species" and its significance.
Indicator species indicate the health of the ecosystem; frogs in the rainforest
What happens to biomass during ecological succession?
BIOMASS (living things weight) decreases at beginning then increases as succession continues
A forest fire destroys 1,000 acres of mature forest, but the soil remains. What type of succession occurs and why?
Secondary bc soil is left behind
How can we maintain biodiversity in an ecosystem?
How would the introduction of wolves (a keystone species) affect plant diversity?
Increase Plant diversity; wolves eat herbivores
What is the difference between endangered and threatened species?
Endangered are in danger of extinction; threatened are in danger of becoming endangered
After a disturbance, which level of succession would have the largest biodiversity?
Climax Community
Compare the succession patterns expected after a volcanic eruption versus a hurricane.
Volcano clears everything (primary) hurricane leaves behind soil
Describe how biodiversity changes as ecosystems progress through the stages of succession.
Biodiversity goes from none to climax community
If an ecosystem loses its keystone species, how would this impact the ecosystem?
The ecosystem is at risk for collapsing.
Compare species diversity to ecosystem stability.
Higher species diversity (more species) = higher ecosystem stability
A mining operation removes all the soil from a large area. What type of succession would follow this?
Primary
How does genetic diversity help the recovery of ecosystems after disturbances?
higher genetic diversity = higher ecosytem stability
What is the relationship between genetic diversity and population survival?
The more diverse the genetics the more resilient the population